


Rising Stars

by orphan_account



Series: Deep Sea Rising [2]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 16:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19467979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: An Octarian rebel hits it big in Inkopolis, and when she teams up with some of the biggest stars in the city, she finally finds her calling - and learns a little more than she bargained for.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been three weeks since Amber had saved Inkopolis. The pathways between Inkopolis and Octo Canyon were defined, and Octolings swarmed the surface. Thanks to an effort of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, it was easy for new surface Octolings to find shelter and work, meaning that it was fully possible for a new Octarian rebel to make a living, and the prospect of a better life drew countless new Octos to Inkopolis.

One of those was Yunae. Yunae wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy - like the rest of the Octolings, she was raised to work in the endlessly-spinning gears of Octarian society, and she didn’t have the same sense of awakening that Amber and Marina had. In fact, she had never even bothered to consider the outside world until her leader was captured by the New Squidbeak Splatoon. However, like many of her peers, the Calamari Inkantation unlocked her free spirit, and she quickly found herself in the center of culture - Inkopolis Square. From there, she found a fascination with Inkopolis’s many forms of music. The duo of Off the Hook particularly resonated with her, and without knowing it, those two would send her directly into the spotlight.

As per the usual, Yunae was making her way to work at Grizzco. It was part of the daily routine - she needed the money from her job to survive and pay for her apartment, barely ever having any leftover to spend. The last time she had any extra money, she spent it on Off the Hook’s newest single, which she found herself singing on the way to work.

“Sakiganareku mewanite~” she sang, in what she thought was a quiet manner. But it wasn’t quiet enough, as soon the voices of the Inklings and Octolings she passed started to creep into her ears. But, for a change, it was welcome - instead of the racist slurs that many Inklings defaulted to, it was....praise. Compliments.

“Wow, she has a nice voice...”

“You hear her? She’s good.”

As an Octoling on the surface, any positive words were uncommon. But the people of Inkopolis had spoken. Yunae found her specialty - her voice - and was convinced that she knew what to do with it. Her shift at Grizzco was successful, but she was eager to get home. She had stayed quite quiet throughout her shift, much to the dismay and confusion of her teammates. When she finally got out, she made a direct line to Sheldon’s store, a concrete idea in her head.

She picked up an old microphone, repurposed from the now-banned Killer Wail, and the cheapest laptop she could find, before making her way home.

_ Funds are tight, so this better be worth it... _

It was late in the night by this point, but that didn’t stop Yunae. She sang her heart out that evening, making sure to record every take. She hastily threw together a backing track, listening to Fly Octo Fly on repeat endlessly to get every detail her ears could pick up. She mixed and processed it to the best of her ability, and by two in the morning, she had a complete cover of the song. She used the last of her energy to push it onto social media, praying that her idea would prove to be something of note. It wasn’t particularly planned, but for a thought that had just come to her that morning, she was proud of her work, and as the final results published online, she fell asleep on the floor of her small, crowded apartment,

Yunae woke up at 10 AM, still tired. She glanced at her cheap, pay-as-you-go phone to check the time (and to make sure she wasn’t late for work), but when she saw it, a rush of anxiety filled her - not because she was an hour and a half late, but...the notifications! Her video had seemingly gone viral on Ikagram overnight, and now she was hot and trending all over the place.

“Wh...what the?!” She was in disbelief. This kind of success was not what she was expecting, although it was certainly welcome. Putting her phone away, she opened her laptop and checked her email. Expecting to get an email from her supervisor, what she found was more surprising than any notice of employment termination:

<From:  [ amber10008@offthehook.net ](mailto:amber10008@offthehook.net)

Subject: Your Fly Octo Fly cover

To Yunae P.,

I saw your cover of Fly Octo Fly, and it was amazing! As you probably know, I’ve got some connections to Pearl and Marina. I’d love to work with you on getting some professional stuff out there, hopefully we can hook you up. Reply when you can!

  * Amber, producer & mixer for Off the Hook>



_ An offer from someone who works with Off the Hook? _ Yunae was intrigued. She had heard a good bit about Amber - after all, she was a prominent name among Octarian rebels, and she was credited directly on Fly Octo Fly itself - but the two had never met personally, so Yunae was apprehensive. Nevertheless, she replied with an email of her own, expressing interest.

Next on the list of things to do - respond to all the press emails. So many requests from news outlets, asking her to appear, asking to use her video. Some even offered her cash, and she was happy to oblige for those. She agreed to meet with a few outlets, and let many more broadcast her work.

Success on a scale like this was huge for Yunae. She never expected to hit it big - not by singing, of all things - but here she was.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days passed since the girl had gone viral. Yunae had appeared on all sorts of news and talk shows, and she had a meeting and plan set up with Amber, the two agreeing to meet for the first time the next day. She was even able to call out of work for the week, living solely off the small amount of compensation she was getting for all her appearances, and she set the rest of the week aside for her new musical endeavours.

Back at Off the Hook’s studio at Inkopolis Records, Amber, Pearl, and Marina were planning things of their own.

“They won’t let us give you much leeway, but we could get you two on like a cover album or something...” Marina laid out papers and contract templates all over the table. Amber was trying to get herself and Yunae signed on to Inkopolis Records officially, a part of the deal that was not discussed with Yunae, but she figured she would take the technical side of the job into her own hands.

“Amber, you know we’d love to sign you two full-time,” Marina explained, “but the higher-ups aren’t too thrilled about it yet. They’re worried it’ll be a one-hit-wonder situation.”

“They nearly had our tentacles for crediting you on the last single,” Pearl added. “We know you already mix for Inkopolis Records, but they don’t seem willing to throw more money at you two like that.”

The yellow-inked Octo sighed. “A cover album would do for now, I suppose. Gota start somewhere...”

The taller Octoling smiled. “Good. We got you the go-ahead for the three tracks you asked for, and hopefully we can sign all the paperwork tomorrow when she comes in.” The meeting adjourned, and the three went back to their daily work.

The next day arrived, and at 10:30 AM sharp, Yunae appeared at the building of Inkopolis Records, not too far off from the central Square, donning what was now her signature look - her big, round glasses, a sparkly, fluffy-looking sweater decorated like the stars, and a Judd-shaped hat. She was greeted at the door by a yellow-tentacled cephalopod, sporting squarer glasses, a pair of headphones, and a White Inky Rider jacket.

“Yunae, right?” she asked.

“Y-yep. That’s me.”

“Amber, nice to meet you!” The two shook hands, albeit a bit awkwardly, and the Octoling welcomed her inside. “I brought a few friends along, I hope you don’t mind.” She walked her to the small studio she worked in, filled with all sorts of audio equipment...and two mega-star idols, their hands filled with papers.

Amber giggled as her guest fangirled over the two other girls in their presence. As the energy in the room calmed, Amber, Yunae, and Off the Hook started discussion.

“We’ve got a proposed contract worked out,” Amber said. “You, me. Three songs on an EP.”

Marina added, “We’ve spent the past three days getting approval from all sorts of higher-ups to get you on here, so we do hope you consider it!”

Pearl had even more to say. “You probably knew this, but Amber has helped us a good in the past. She’s good at her craft, and we were all impressed with your stuff, Yunae.”

“We’re confident you two would make a great combo. What do you say, Yunae?” Amber, Pearl, and Marina all looked at the girl hopefully, Yunae’s anxiety going up.

_ This is a big decision...I’m sure it would help me with a better career, and I could use the cash...I don’t think it’d be too difficult working with Amber, but what if I’m wrong? What if we don’t mix? What if this goes terribly wrong, and no one likes it? _

She looked around the room. All this professional gear, the computers and cables...and the three musicians, their looks of hope now combined with glances of confidence, the yellow one’s face covered in a warm smile.

_ It’s worth the risk! _

“...you’ve got yourself a deal!” the dark-blue Octo replied, breaking the tense silence. There was cheering in the room, and soon Marina had the two girls sign some stuff, and it was official. After some more mild celebration, the idols went back to their duties, making sure their partners’ new paperwork was pushed up the ranks.

“So, Yunae,” Amber explained. “We’ve got permission to do Ebb and Flow, Acid Hues, and Muck Warfare, so...basically the Splatfest tracklist. What do you want to tackle first?”

The singer thought for a moment. “Acid Hues, I think...wait, are we starting today?!”

“That depends. Got any plans?”  
“Well, no...”

“Then it sounds like a plan. You ready to rock?” Amber adjusted her glasses, with a smirk.

“Let’s do it, then. Hop in the booth, and show me what you got!”


	3. Chapter 3

Amber set her up with some headphones, and quickly pulled out a keyboard.

“I’m gonna count you off, and then Acid Hues. Sound good?” Yunae nodded from the recording booth. “1, 2...1, 2, ready, go!” Amber started a version of Acid Hues, and Yunae came in right on cue, the two smiling the entire time. Towards the end of Acid Hues, she didn’t warn Yunae of the ending, instead opting to fade her keyboard into Muck Warfare, the blue Octo playing along. Going along, she went into Ebb and Flow. Nasty Majesty? Yeah, sure. Shark Bytes? They did that too? Now or Never? Of course. They finished off with Fly Octo Fly and a reprise of Ebb and Flow, exiting their musical adventure with style and grace.

“So glad I got a recording of that,” Amber smiled. “You wanna hear it?”

“Can’t say I’m not interested,” Yunae replied.

The two girls played back the recording, which ran for about fifteen minutes.

“That sounded really good,” the singer commented. “You’re good.”

“Me?! You’re amazing!”

The two shared a laugh. It was still early morning, and they already had amazing output.

“Sadly, we can’t put that on the album...” Yunae lamented.

“Yeah, but it’ll be some damn good marketing material,” Amber winked. Her bandmate giggled, before the two went back to being productive.

“Now that we’re warmed up, let’s take Acid Hues from the top. I’ve got a backing demo we can use, so that should help you out.” They got ready to record, and spent a few hours on it before they were ready for lunch.

“Hey, you hungry at all?” Amber asked, wrapping up a take.

“Yeah...I could use a bite.”

“Alright! Lunch is on me!” She led her friend out of the room, and took her to the Crust Bucket, where the two enjoyed their lunch, although they were eager to get back to work. They hurried back to the studio, where they began working again. After a few more hours, Amber decided she had all the vocal takes she needed.

“Hey, that’s it! Those should be all the recordings I need!”

Yunae happily sighed. “Awesome! Thank you for this!”

“Thank  _ you! _ I’m really happy we’re able to do this. It’s an honor and a treat to work with you.” The two smiled, and hugged. “I’m gonna work on mixing, you can head home, or if you want you can chill here, up to you.”

She thought it over for a hot moment. “Mind if I just kick it here?”

“Not at all. Hell, you can listen to what I’m working with. It helps to see all stages of production, after all.”

The yet-unnamed duo listened to and toyed with the music. Amber had to finish up the instrumental, but she managed to work it out and get it done, the two enjoying every step of the way.

“Now that I think of it, we need a group name,” Yunae commented.

Amber paused, but she already had an idea. “...Octo Rising.”

“That was fast.”

“I already had an idea a while ago. Now I can use it.”

“I like it...sounds cool, and makes sense.”

The two agreed to use the name, and Octo Rising was officially born.

“Hey, Amber.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“What was life like for you? Back in the Valley?”


	4. Chapter 4

Amber froze, her face lifeless.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you...!”

“It’s fine.” Her cheerful sarcasm was gone, but she did come back to life. “I...haven’t talked about it with anyone else, really...it’s just not pleasant...”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

The yellow Octoling nodded, taking off her glasses, which were starting to fog. She wiped her eyes. “I was an engineer and technician...it was mostly tedious for a while. I was never given combat training, so I did engineering.”

“Wait, you weren’t given training? All the girls were given combat training...”

Amber smiled, as if something inside her was validated. But the feeling of happiness faded, and Yunae hadn’t quite caught on.

“I broke free of the music when I was thirteen...I recovered my free will then. I never felt the pain I had until then...”

Suddenly, it clicked with Yunae. People like Amber weren’t anything Octarian society particularly encountered, but thankfully she had met one or two in the past. Amber looked at her, the two sharing the connection.

“That’s pretty much it,” she said. In truth, she had much more to say, but it was clear that Yunae, while kind and empathetic, didn’t need to hear it all. Amber gave her a hug, and Yunae returned it, the two sharing a quiet moment.

“Why don’t we wrap it up for the day?” Yunae suggested, putting her Judd beanie back on.

“Sounds like a good idea to me, if you don’t mind.” The yellow Octoling put her glasses back on. “I’ll see what we can do with that jam session, you head home. Take care, Yunae. And...thank you.”

The singer smiled, before making her way out of the building. The yellow Octoling stayed back, trying to negotiate with Pearl and Marina once again. After a few talks that night, Off the Hook agreed to release the video on their own Ikagram accounts, and satisfied, she too went home.

Yunae exhaustedly flopped on her bed as soon as she arrived in her apartment. She looked at her Ikagram once more, before falling asleep, her follower count still growing tremendously.

The next day came, and Yunae was ready to get back to work. She met with Amber at the studio, and the two got to it, and they had Acid Hues fully finished by lunchtime.

“One down, two to go! By the way, Yunae, did you see Marina’s post last night?”

“Oh, the jam session one?”

“Yeah, people loved it.”

“I’m relieved about it. I was worried people wouldn’t like it...”

“I was too, but they love it, so let’s keep that hype train going!”

The two tackled Muck Warfare next. They got the vocals recorded by the end of daylight.

“Why don’t we stay here and finish this tonight?” Amber suggested. “It’ll be fun. We’ve got tons of energy drinks in the break room, the rest of the place runs on ‘em.”

As she had nowhere to be the next day but the same studio, Yunae agreed. “Might as well...but I’m gonna need one of those energy drinks.”

Amber giggled. “Of course. I’ll go get some.” She left, coming back a few moments later, her arms full of cans. “Here you go. Let’s knock this out!”

The two worked on the backing track for a few hours more. There were jokes, laughs, and near exhaustion, as they finished their third track by 3 in the morning, their bodies, minds, and ears exhausted. They both crashed on the floor of the studio that night, being woken up in the morning quite harshly.

“Wake up, sleepyheads, “ Marina demanded, a small speaker in her hand blasting Now or Never.

“Hmm?” Amber yawned.

“Ah~!” Yunae didn’t wake up quite so peacefully, as she startled awake, Marina trying to hold back her laughter.

“Morning, sweetie~” Amber groggily walked over to the DJ, giving her a hug and a kiss.

“Morning, Amber.~ Now what have we told you about sleeping in the studio? You know  _ they _ don’t like it.”

“I know, I know. But we got the second track done, we just have one more to go. We were up late, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, but, uh...try not to, okay? You don’t want to get kicked out.”  _ And neither do we... _

“Alright, alright. Hey, Yunae? Wanna grab a bite?”

“Huh? Oh...yeah, sure...” she yawned, still waking up.

“Then let’s head out. Wanna come with, ‘Rina?”

“Sure. Pearl isn’t in yet, so might as well.”

The three left the studio, heading out to a coffee shop just off near Deca Tower. They each ordered a coffee and their preferred sandwiches.

“You guys have two tracks done in just two days?!” Marina asked.

“Yeah, and honestly, I’m pretty happy with ‘em,” Amber sipped her coffee, quickly pulling back. “Hot, hot...”

The other two laughed. Yunae added, “I’m just glad to be able to do this. Thanks, you two, for the chance!”

“No sweat,” Marina replied. “People seem to love you, and all of us at Inkopolis Records are pretty impressed. We’re hoping this EP succeeds, so we can keep you two signed on full-time with us.” The green Octoling tried to sip her coffee, but flinched with the same response as Amber, getting laughed at by the other two girls.

“Oh yeah, Marina! Tell Yunae the news you got today.”

“Oh, I nearly forgot! Yunae, if this succeeds, the label wants you to perform next Splatfest.”

This left her stunned. “Me...? To perform...?”

“Yep. You and Amber. They want you to do live versions of all the songs on the EP, and Color Pulse and Now or Never.” Amber and Marina both tried their coffee a second time, this time not burning themselves.

“That’d be awesome,” she replied. “Amber, we  _ have _ to make this one count!”

The yellow Octoling nodded. She too wanted the album to succeed - after all, playing on the Splatfest stage was a high honor, and to let that opportunity pass her by would be foolish.

“Wait...do you two have a group name yet?”

“Octo Rising,” Yunae replied, adjusting her beanie.

Marina took a second to think, chewing on her sandwich. “Not bad at all. Sounds good to me! The guys in the marketing department wanted to name the EP ‘Splatfest Collection’...which, frankly, I think sucks. You’ve got, like, 24 hours to veto it and come up with something better...”

“That’s so booooring,” Amber whined. “We’ll get a better name for you by the end of the day, I’m positive.”

“Good...the thing would flop on the name alone...”

The three finished their food, but it wasn’t until they were getting ready to leave that Marina pointed something out.

“Uh...Amber? I think that’s Kaz.” She steered the girl’s eyes towards a table farther off. There were two Inklings - one with a pink ponytail and a black skirt, the other in what looked like employee gear, donning navy-blue tentacles and a pair of glasses.

“That’s them alright,” she replied. “Are they flirting with that guy?”

Marina smirked. “Think so. They’d look cute together, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I’ll have to tease ‘em later.” The two giggled.

_ Oh Zapfish... _ Yunae thought, Marina’s phone interrupting the moment.

“Oh, Pearl’s in. We should probably head back. Don’t wanna be late for the news!”

The three paid and left, quickly making their way back to Inkopolis Records headquarters once more. Marina left to do her job, and Octo Rising still needed to finish Ebb and Flow - and they needed a new album name.

“What to name it, what to name it...” Amber paced the room.

“...On the Hook?” Yunae suggested, stopping the producer in her tracks.

“Golden. I’ll text Marina right away.” She did just that, pulling out her phone and sending the idea to her. “Now, let’s finish this!”

Yunae got right into the booth. Amber started her backing track, and soon the vocalist did her thing. The two got into the rhythm, happily bopping along to the music.

“Raizonnei, nyurazastei, dismis--” Yunae stopped singing.

“Why’d you do that?!” Amber asked, alarmed.

“It’s missing something.” The vocalist pointed at Amber, looked her dead in the eyes, and motioned for her to come in. Amber set her system to record, entering the recording booth.

Two hours of vocal takes later, they had a nearly finished EP. A few more hours of mxing (and lunch) had the two finishing On the Hook.

“Just three days?!” Pearl exclaimed. “You two finished that entire EP in just THREE DAYS?!”

Octo Rising smiled sheepishly, nodding.

“I’m really impressed,” Marina added. “I hope the general public is too!”

The mood in the room quickly declined. Everyone was excited, but now the pressure was on. There was two days to go before On the Hook proved itself to the world, and the wait felt like eons.

“You two still down to party release night?” Pearl asked.

“Hell yeah,” Amber replied.

“Good. You two rest up. You’ve worked super hard on this, you deserve it.” Marina smiled, then paused. “Also, let me add you to the group chat...” The girls’ phones buzzed.

<DJ_Hyperfresh added paradoxyunae and 10008 to the chat.>

Amber and Yunae thanked Off the Hook for the help, and then headed home to relax, wasting their time away in the group chat.


	5. Chapter 5

The day had arrived. Octo Rising’s first EP was set to drop in just a few hours, and Yunae was ready to go. She kept her eyes on her email and Ikagram and the Inkopolis Records group chat, where she met all sorts of Inkopolis’s stars. The group chat seemed excited, but moreso for the party than anything.

Yunae took a second to reflect. A boring life in Octarian society, and being a no-name in Inkopolis - led up to her releasing a professional album in just about a week? It was surreal to her, but she was still quite excited and eager to see all that work release to the world.

Amber was also anticipating the drop. She spent her day kicking it backstage with Pearl and Marina, the three planning to announce the release live on the next news broadcast.

The hours crawled by, filled with anticipation, all building up to the drop, until it was time for the big event. The three announced it, live on air, and as soon as it ended, they spent their time monitoring its success. In little time at all, it made its way up the charts. Positive reviews, social media buzz, high streaming counts.

“Yunae,” Amber screamed over the phone. “It’s a huge success! We did it, we did it!” The two squealed, excitedly sharing their joy.

The day went on, and Octo Rising started trending all over Inkopolis, all the radio stations were broadcasting their music, and the two were set to play the next Splatfest.

“Here’s the setlist,” Marina explained, as the group all met in a conference room. “The three songs from On the Hook, Color Pulse, Now or Never...basic stuff. You got that, right?”  
The girls nodded.

“Also,” Pearl added. “Higher ups just sent us this.” She held out a stack of paper, Amber and Yunae reading it. They were astonished.

“The Squid Sisters?!”  
Marina nodded. “They want you two on an album with them!”

The two Octarians happily hashed out the details of the deal, signing the contracts and officially becoming full-time artists.

“Yunae...we did it...” Amber quietly sighed, their meeting adjourned. “I’m still kinda shocked...”

“Me too. Hey, let’s get home and get ready for the party later, alright? We don’t wanna miss that!”

Amber nodded. “Alright, perfect. I’ll see you later, Yunae. Thanks for this.”

Yunae smiled. “Thank you too. We did this together.”

The two girls went their separate ways until later that night, where they went home and got all ready and dolled up. This translated to Yunae showing up to the party dressed as she always was, and Amber wearing a short black skirt, black leggings, and an Off the Hook tank top It perhaps might have been worse than her work outfit, but she liked it.

The release party was quite small, albeit still sizable, with people from all over the industry in attendance; familiar faces like Off the Hook and the Squid Sisters, to the Chirpy Chips and Wet Floor, and a label exec here and there.

Octo Rising wasted no time on introductions, making themselves known to everyone, Yunae nearly fainting in the presence of Callie and Marie.

“Thank you for this,” Amber told Marina, sheepishly.

“Don’t mention it! We wanted to do something special for you, it is your first album, after all! By the way, you’re looking as cute as ever tonight,” she winked, Amber blushing.

“I’d have worn something shorter and smaller for you if I could have,” she smirked back.

“Just fuck already,” Pearl interjected, a smug look on her face.

“Who’s to say we haven’t?” Amber shot back.

“I’m going to slap both of you,” Marina sharply told them, Amber giggling.

The night went on. Amber and Yunae got to know their fellow musicians and artists, eating delicious snacks, celebration filling the air. Octo Rising gave a short, improvised speech, and yet the real fun had yet to come.

Pearl approached the three Octarians, who had gathered around the table of food in the midst of a conversation, cutting them off. “Ayo, let’s get the REAL party started!” In her hands were a few...drinks. Amber, Marina, and Yunae were all underage - being 16, 18, and 20, respectively - so Pearl was technically the only one who could drink, the pink squid already quite tipsy, her balance off and her speech slurred. There was apprehension from all three, but not willing to kill the fun of the moment, they went all in. The rest of the party was all a blur, a section of black in their memories.

The next morning came. Yunae’s head was pounding...and this wasn’t where she belonged...at least, that’s what she thought. She quickly re-evaluated, after noticing the green-tentacled squid laying in bed beside her, wearing her own sweater. A smile on her face, she simply went back to sleep, more than comfortable in the companionship of Marie.

Amber found herself in the very familiar bed of Marina’s. She couldn’t remember the events of the party herself, but she didn’t need to. The skirt and top on the floor told the whole story, as well as the strange yellow-green ink in Marina’s tentacles. She wrapped her arms around her partner, who opened up her eyes.

“Your skirt was plenty short enough, sweetie.~”

Amber and Yunae both shared one thought at that exact moment - _Finally, something to do in Inkopolis._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! There's more coming, don't worry! I just wanted to get this out! Sorry if it isn't as high-quality as DSR, I might have rushed this one...again, big thanks to a friend of mine and content creator to letting me use them as the basis of a character! You know who she is, I wasn't subtle. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> This is only the first chapter of a longer story! Bear with me as I release it in the next coming days! Also big thanks to a friend and content creator for letting me use a character based directly off of them!


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